Titans Attacked!
by Heathglen
Summary: Unknown foes have attacked Titan's Tower with no warning. Scattered and disoriented, the teens struggle to evade the mysterious enemy chasing them. Canon story.
1. Chapter 1

The red glow of the setting sun filled the living room of Titans Tower. Starfire stood at the window gazing at the panoramic view of floating clouds turning from pink to purple. The colours reflected off the calm waters of the bay surrounding Titans Island so that the entire scene looked like an unending sheet of gold.

"Is the setting of the sun not wonderful? It makes the sky look just like the sky of my home plant of Tamaran." Starfire turned around with her hands clasped up in front of her chest and smiled at her friends. Robin lounged on the couch watching news coverage on the television with Beast Boy sprawled out next to him.

"Yeah, Starfire, it's very pretty," replied Robin. He threw a glance out the window before returning his attention to the TV. It showed footage of violent rain storms pounding the east coast. He wanted to see if it would show footage of Gotham City.

"So was last night's sunset, and the night before that, and the one before that," said Beast Boy without breaking eye contact with the TV. "We've seen it like a hundred times."

An annoyed frown replaced Starfire's smile. "Just because you do not know how to appreciate beauty, it does not mean other people do not. Perhaps friend Raven would like to admire this view."

"I doubt it," said Robin, "Plus, she went to bed an hour ago, and I don't think she'd like you disturbing her."

"Well then, perhaps Cyborg," said Starfire.

"He's down working on the T-Jet," said Beast Boy. "He's not going to care about the sunset either."

Starfire screwed up her eyes at him but said nothing as she marched out of the room to find Cyborg. As the door snapped shut behind her, Robin heard his Titans communicator chirp from his belt. Beast Boy looked up with interest.

"Somethin' going on?" asked the green skinned teen.

"No," answered Robin. He tapped at the screen of the little communicator. "It's just a message from Batman."

Now Beast Boy was really interested. "What's it say? Does he need our help with something?" He sat up and leaned over Robin's shoulder trying to get a look at the screen.

Robin put his hand on the side of his friend's face and pushed him away. "It says 'Mind your own business, Beast Boy.'"

Beast Boy sat back with his arms crossed in a pout. "I'm almost certain that's not what it says."

Robin ignored him and opened the message. He could hear his mentor's gravely voice in his head as he read the clipped sentences. "Going off-world with JL. Penny One abroad. Cave alerts routed to you. Flexible ETA 7 days."

Robin slipped the device back on his belt. Batman was heading off on an outer space adventure with the Justice League. It usually happened a couple times a year. When it did, Alfred would head to some foreign country and build a vacation alibi for Bruce Wayne. Standard procedure dictated that in these events, security alerts for the Bat Cave were sent to Robin at Titans Tower. There had never been an incident. The Cave pretty much took care of itself. Being on-call didn't cause Robin any excitement or anxiety.

Robin yawned and stretched. The TV news had moved onto sport highlights so he turned it off. He absently waved goodnight to Beast Boy and wandered off to his bedroom. Dumping his cape, gloves, and belt in a heap by his bed, he sat down and pulled off his shoes.

He felt the building lurch even before he heard deafening boom of the explosion. The floor heaved under him, slamming him backwards into the wall behind him. Glass from the window rained down on top of him. Robin scrambled to his feet and shook his head trying to clear his vision. Alarms sounded but didn't offer any hint as to what had rocked the tower. The building heaved again and Robin was flung to the other side of his room, crashing right through his bedroom door.

Part of the hallway's ceiling had collapsed, blocking access to the rest of the tower. Robin choked on the smoke filling the hall as he staggered across to Raven's room. He pounded on the door yelling her name. There was no response. The smoke burned his lungs doubling him over into a fit coughing; tears streamed from his eyes. Nearly blinded, he tried to push open the door, but something was blocking it from the other side. Around him the steel girders of the tower moaned and bent, struggling to hold the structure together. Feeling desperate, he threw his shoulder into the door. Another explosion hit causing the door to burst open and Robin tumbled through.

Raven was on her knees hanging on to the corner bedpost as the room around her bucked and shook. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide with terror and confusion. Blood ran down the side of her face and neck.

"We're under attack!" Robin was sure he was screaming but couldn't hear himself and doubted that Raven could either. The raising wail of tortured steel pierced their ears as it buckled and failed. Robin grabbed both Raven's arms and half carried, half dragged her over to the shattered window, glass cutting into his bare feet. "Fly, Raven! You have to fly us out!" This time he could hear himself, but if Raven could, it didn't show. Her unfocused eyes stared at him in shock and dismay. "Fly! We'll die if you-" The force of the next explosion blew them through the window as the structure as it collapsed.

Robin gasped as he broke the surface of the water. They had hit the water hard, but he managed to hang onto Raven's wrist when they plunged into the bay. Now he could feel her dead weight trying to pull him down. Kicking his legs as hard as he could to keep them both afloat, he heaved her up, putting her back against his chest and her head up on his shoulder just above the water.

"Raven? Raven!" He was trying to shout but the effort of swimming and the frigid waters left him gasping. She lay completely still and he couldn't feel her breathing. He tried to feel around her neck for a pulse, but it was difficult while trying to hold her and tread water at the same time. Relief flooded through him when he felt her cough and spew out water, but she didn't regain consciousness.

With one arm holding Raven to his chest, Robin looked up at the tiny island above him where Titans Tower should have stood. All that was there now was a twisted mass of metal belching a pillar of thick black smoke skyward. Flames from the building wreckage lit up the darkening night. Behind him, Robin could see the tiny lights of Jump City across the bay.

Above him he heard the distinct thumping of a low flying helicopter. The aircraft buzzed over him, followed by two more. Powerful spotlights mounted to the choppers began scanning the island. Robin was sure that he didn't want to be found by whoever these people were. Climbing up onto the island would get them spotted instantly, but they couldn't just stay floating in the water. He considered trying to swim across the bay to the city, but dismissed the idea knowing that they would both drown if he attempted it.

The situation looked hopeless and Robin began to despair, feeling his strength draining from the effort of keeping both their heads above water. Just as he came to the decision to climb out and surrender, choosing the chance of being shot over the certainty of drowning, he felt something large move through the water near him. His mind became frantic at having to deal with another new unseen terror. He nearly screamed when he felt something hard bump into his back. The same moment he heard air blasting up through the water and a sleek dorsal fin appeared under his free hand. Instinctively he grabbed on to the fin and the porpoise began pulling him out into the bay, making for the lights of Jump City.


	2. Chapter 2

Robin and Beast Boy staggered from the water with Raven's arms slung over their shoulders. Her cloak had been lost on the journey across the bay and they were forced to lay their unconscious friend on the dirty sand of a seaweed strewn beach before collapsing on either side of her. For a long time, the only sound was their heavy breathing.

"I…That was…that was…" Beast Boy tried but failed to find words that could express his thoughts. Robin understood him regardless. They both lay flat on backs looking up at the night sky. "Who were those guys?"

"I have no idea. All I saw was the three helicopters."

"Boeing AH-64 Apaches," said Beast Boy and Robin turned his head to stare at him. "What? I play Call of Duty, yo."

Raven moaned and shifted beside them. Both boys moved to help her sit up as she came to. "Wha—what?" Raven looked around bewildered. "Where?"

"We were attacked. The tower was destroyed." Robin kept a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady as he described as best he could had happened. "I think you hit your head in the initial hit. You had blood on your face when I found you." He carefully began parting her hair with his fingers and immediately found a gash just above her hair line. "It doesn't look bad, but you're definitely concussed. Let me guess: Headache? Nausea? Feeling kind of foggy?"

Raven nodded, slumping forward and putting her head down on her bent knees. "Where are Cyborg and Starfire?"

The silence fell like dead weight between them. "I looked for them." Beast Boy's voice cracked. "I swam all over. I swear I did."

"We know you did, Beast Boy," said Robin.

Raven took a couple of deep breaths and looked back up at her friends. Beast Boy was sitting cross legged beside her looking miserable and exhausted. On the other side of her, Robin was shivering in his wet clothes and trying pathetically to brush wet sand from his bare feet. He had half a dozen small cuts across both soles of his feet.

"What happened to your shoes?" asked Raven.

"Lost along with my cape and belt."

"Just like John McClane," said Beast Boy.

Robin pushed back the wet hair that was plastered flat to his forehead. He would have laughed if everything hadn't been so awful. He felt numb with cold and wanted to get off this miserable strip of beach. "Raven, can you teleport us out of here?"

"No."

"No? Why not?" Robin tried to remain calm but he couldn't stop the frustration from creeping into his voice.

Raven's normally stoic face couldn't mask her despair. "My powers take a lot of mental effort and total focus to control."

"The concussion," said Robin to show he understood her.

"It's okay, Rae," said Beast Boy putting a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, where would we even go?"

The night was one of the longest any of them had ever experienced. To ease the cold, Beast Boy curled his Kodiak bear body around his two friends as if they were a couple of cubs. None of them slept. Instead, they sat watching the waves roll up on the narrow beach.

The rising tiding forced them off the beach with the grey light of pre-dawn. Robin walked while Raven rode on Beast Boy's small but sturdy Shetland pony back, her toes only clearing the ground by inches. The sound of Beast Boy's hooves on the pavement rang through the empty city streets.

Although the streets were deserted now, Robin knew that the city would start waking up and it would be dangerous for them to be out in the open. Walking around in costume was certain to get them noticed. It was a safe bet that their attackers would be after them again once they found out that they were still alive. If they didn't know already.

"This is stupid." Robin flopped down on a bus bench. "We can't just keep wandering around. We need a plan."

"A plan to do what?" asked Beast Boy sitting down beside Robin with Raven next to him.

"Yeah, typically a plan leads to an end goal," said Raven.

Robin screwed up his eyes and clenched his fists. "The end goal is to find our friends and bring our attackers to justice."

"Find our friends?" Beast Boy looked at him confused. "Cyborg and Starfire are probably d—"

"We don't know that!" Robin cut him off. "We don't know! Not what happened to our friends, not who attacked us, not why they attacked. We don't know anything!" He put his chin on his fists and leaned his elbows on his knees. "We have to presume that they are alive and we have to try and find them. They would do the same for us."

"You're right. We don't know anything. So, step one of the plan should be to do something about that." Beast Boy put his hand on Robin's shoulder. It made a wet slapping sound. "Actually, I've got a better idea for step one."

"I change my mind. I don't like this idea," said Beast Boy. He was standing next to Raven in a back alley keeping a look out. Robin was working on picking the lock to the back door of a thrift store with a broken fork they had found.

"We're going to pay them back," said Raven.

"I know, but what if we get caught?"

"Really, Beast Boy, grow some backbone."

"We're not going to get caught," said Robin over his shoulder. "This place doesn't have any cameras and only a local alarm. When it goes off, it will make a lot of noise but that's about it. No one is around to hear it. Raven and I will run in, grab what we need, and run out. We'll be long gone in less than five minutes."

"Well not if you can't open the door," said Beast Boy. "It was stupid to think you could pick it with an old fork."

"I had it open before we started having this conversation, I'm just waiting for you calm down so you can focus on keeping a look out for us."

"I'm calm! I'm focused!" Beast Boy planted himself next to the door so he had a clear view down the alley. "You guys just go do what you need to do."

Robin looked at Raven. "The alarm is going to be really loud and it's going to make your head hurt. A lot. Are you sure you can handle this?"

Raven scowled at him. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"Okay, ready?" Robin looked at each of them. "On three. One. Two. Three!"

Robin yanked the door open and the alarm sounded. Together Robin and Raven disappeared inside, while Beast Boy held the door for their escape.

Beast Boy waited with his heart pounding in his chest and the alarm ringing in his ears. It was so loud that it seemed like the whole city would hear it. The minutes ticked by and he started to wonder if he should go in after them. He just poked his head in the when Robin came barreling out the door clutching a bundle of clothes with one arm and pulling Raven along behind him with the other. Raven was ashen faced and reeling, but still managed to come out with a backpack full of clothes. Beast Boy stood ready as a stallion while Robin boosted Raven onto his back before leaping up behind her. Together the three Titans cantered off down the alley.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Robin balled up his uniform with Raven's leotard and stuffed them into the backpack as the three teens walked out into the sunny plaza in Jump City's city center. The morning sunshine skipped and played across the glass buildings and the water of the center fountain. Pigeons fluttered around chasing after crumbs dropped by rushing commuters that thronged up through the subway entrance into the square. Altogether the scene made the day seem bright and hopeful. Robin, with his "new" clothes, couldn't help but feel optimistic.

He was so delighted with the feeling of the skate shoes on his feet that he didn't care that the rest of his clothes made him look like a slob. He had on a pair of faded jeans, a white souvenir t-shirt from Las Vegas, and a red zip-up hooded sweater. His mask was swapped out for a pair of cheap sunglasses. Beside him Raven looked more fashionable in black leggings, a red plaid pleated skirt, and a grey hoodie under a cropped denim jacket.

"I don't know why you thought I needed this. My animal powers keep me warm and dry. I don't need other clothes." Beast Boy was wearing a purple hoodie with a picture of a horse on it. "What is the point of this?"

Raven tugged Beast Boy's hood down firmer on his head. "We're trying to keep a low profile."

"Yes, and?"

"And you're green. Trust me, people notice."

"Okay, but purple?"

"I thought you liked purple. Your costume is purple."

"Yo, I didn't design the uniform. Plus, this," Beast Boy stretched out the sweater. "This is really, really purple. It's a girl sweater."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Sweaters don't have genders. That's just the patriarchy."

"The patri-what?"

"Enough," said Robin. "We need to start Step Two of the plan." He chose a bench near the fountain that gave him a full view of the square. He scanned the faces as people walked passed, looking for anyone who seemed interested in them. A man cursed as a skateboarder cut in front of him. A toddler squealed with delight as she cased after flapping pigeons. A woman bumped into multiple people while digging in her purse as she walked, looking for her ringing cell phone. Nobody was paying them the slightest bit of attention.

"Robin?"

Robin had been vaguely aware that Beast Boy had been talking. He snapped his attention back to his friend. "What?"

"I asked you if we could make Step Two be getting breakfast?" asked Beast Boy. Raven was slumped against his shoulder with her eyes closed.

Robin scowled at him. "Is that what's most important right now?"

"Well, yeah, kind of. I mean, first order of survival, right?" Beast Boy shrank under Robin's stony stare. "I'm just saying, a bagel or a muffin would really go a long way right now."

"Go get yourself one then. I'm not stopping you."

"I don't have any money."

Robin gave Beast Boy an exaggerated shrug. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Oh sure, when you need something, like clothes, you're willing to commit a felony, but when I need something to help me function better, you can't even be bothered to think about it!"

"I was walking around without shoes! No shoes!"

"Guys!" hissed Raven. "Stop fighting. It's pointless and it makes my head hurt."

Robin took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy. I know it sucks, but honestly, we're not about to die of starvation anytime soon, so food is going to have to be a lower priority, okay?"

"I just work better with food," mumbled Beast Boy addressing is own feet.

Robin ignored him. "We need to get a handle on what is happening. We can't keep stumbling around blind. We need to get some information to work with and the only place to start is back on the island. Step Two is reconnaissance."

"Back to the tower? That's crazy!" said Beast Boy. "I am not towing you guys all the way across the bay again."

"Yeah," agreed Raven, sitting up. "Whoever attacked us, they're not amateurs. They're sure to be watching the island. Even if they think we're dead."

"You'll have to go, Beast Boy," said Robin.

Beast Boy let out a loud groan. "Me? Why me?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Because you can fly. All you have to do is wheel around a couple times and come back and tell us what you saw.""

"Now wait just a minute. I have been carrying you guy since last night. Literally carrying you on my back. I am tired. I have low blood sugar." Beast Boy pulled down his hood lower over his face and crossed his arms in a pout. "So no, I don't want to go flying, by myself, out over open water to the burning wreckage of my home where there maybe people who want to kill me. Sorry, but I just don't think it's worth it."

Raven held up her hand to silence Robin as he opened mouth to make an angry reply. "Beast Boy," her voice was low and gentle. She pushed up his hood a little, so she could see his eyes. "Cyborg and Starfire are out there." She watched his angry features soften. "You know they would do the same for you."

Beast Boy let out a large breath. Unfolding his arms, he pushed off his hood and gave Raven a faint smile before turning to Robin. "I'm sorry. I just get a little cranky when I'm hungry. I'm okay now."

Robin squeezed his friends shoulder. "That's okay. I get it."

Standing up, Beast Boy pulled his purple sweater over his head and tossed it to Raven. "When I get back, I would really like the next problem we work on to be food."

"We'll try our best," answered Robin.

"We'll wait here for you," said Raven.

Beast Boy gave her a wink, morphed into a seagull and flew away towards the harbour.

When he was out of sight, Robin turned his attention back to the square. People were moving in all directions, buying coffee, meeting coworkers, and rushing to catch the bus. Everyone was going about their routines on a sunny summer morning. Nothing he saw seemed out of place.

Beside him, Raven was bent over with her elbows on her thighs and her head in her hands. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Terrible," she answered without raising her head.

"I bet. Worst headache of your life? Feeling like you're going to sick at any moment?"

Raven nodded. She could tell that he was speaking from experience. She found his empathy comforting.

"You'll start to feel a little better in a day or two, but the headache can linger for weeks and—"

Robin cut himself off when something across the plaza caught his attention. Raven looked up to try and see what he was looking at.

"What it is?" she asked. She could see his body was tensed and his entire focus was on the plaza.

"We have to get out here." He stood up and held the backpack out for her. He never stopped scanning the crowd as she shrugged the straps onto her shoulders.

"Robin, what's going on? What do you see?" He didn't answer but took her hand and began leading her back towards the alley they had come from. They had made it half way there when he stopped, hesitated, and then turned to his left.

"Robin?" She could see them now. Large men were making their way towards them from different directions. She counted four, but there might have been more. Robin was now heading in the direction of the stairs down to the subway. The men closed in and moved to cut them off.

"Run!" shouted Robin and together they made a break for the subway stairs. People cursed at them as they tried to push through. One of the men made a grab for them, but a cyclist got in his way. Another man managed to get a hand on Raven's backpack. She screamed as she was yanked back, losing her grip on Robin's hand.

Robin skidded around and charged at the attacker. He threw all his weight and momentum into the punch. It landed in the man's midsection and Raven heard a crack and Robin grunt in pain. The man doubled over and Robin planted a kick on the side of his head. Raven grabbed her friend's arm and they were running again before the thug hit the ground.

They leapt down the entrance stairs, jumped the turnstiles, and barreled down to the train platform. Raven thought about jumping down onto the rails and disappearing into the tunnels, but a train was already sitting at the platform getting ready to depart. They slipped into a car just as the doors were closing.

The pair slid into a couple of unoccupied seats near the end of the car. Robin's heavy breathing came out as hisses through his clenched teeth. He was cradling his right hand in his lap.

"Are you okay? Let me see," Raven moved to touch his hand, but Robin flinched away.

"Don't!" Robin took a couple of deep breaths. "It's broken."

"Are you sure?" asked Raven. Robin just nodded as he clenched his teeth and slid his injured had into his jacket pocket.

"Whoever they are. They know we're not dead. How did they find us so fast?" asked Raven.

Robin was still and appeared to be thinking. Suddenly, he slammed his uninjured fist into the seat beside him. The loud thump caused some of the other commuters to look over at them. Robin slumped back into the sit.

"Hey, it's okay," said Raven. "I know that it hurts, but we—"

"It's not that," he cut in.

"What then?"

Robin turned his pain filled eyes towards hers. "Beast Boy."


	4. Chapter 4

It was a wonderful day for flying. The combination of the warm sun on his back and cool sea breezes under his wings was intoxicating. Below him, Beast Boy could see dozens of tiny pleasure crafts cruising around the bay. They were out enjoying the same bright skies and sparkling waves that he was. Further out to sea he could see a pod of humpback whales breaching and playing. He longed to go and join them.

Beast Boy circled high above Titans Island. The wreckage below was still smoldering. There was no sign of any helicopters and everything looked still. He spiraled down for a closer look.

The cantilevered wings of the T-shaped tower had collapsed, but the center column seemed mostly intact. He buzzed by the blown-out windows a few times to get a look at the interior. Everything was covered in smoke, dust, and glass. Some of the ceiling panels had collapsed, but the walls seemed to be holding.

He flapped his wings and wheeled out over the water in front of the tower. He glided in slow circles around the island trying to think of other places to investigate. He knew Robin would just send him back if he missed somewhere.

Out of the corner of his eye, Beast Boy saw something move on the island, but it was too late. The flash was blinding, the blast wave hit like a wall. Beast Boy's limp body plunged backwards into the sea.

Robin and Raven spent the entire day riding trains. Sometimes changing from one train to another as often as they could; other times riding the same line from one end to the other and back again. They hoped it would be harder to find them if they kept moving at random.

At one point, Raven had fallen asleep on Robin's shoulder and he didn't have the heart to wake her. She had been trudging around since the attack feeling sicker than she ever had and yet hadn't let slip one word of complaint. Robin knew exactly how she was feeling and appreciated her strength of will and fortitude.

It was evening by the time Raven and Robin emerged from the subway. They were at a terminal station through which a lot of out-of-town commuters hurried each morning and evening to and from their nine to five jobs in the city. At this time of night, it was all but deserted.

The pair stood on the sidewalk looking at the empty parking lot and quite streets. The gloomy scene was lit by sallow street lamps. Raven turned to Robin who returned her questioning stare with a half shrug and set off walking in the direction of the city limits. Their progress was slow as they found themselves stopping to rest at every bus bench they came across. But it hardly mattered, as they had no destination in mind.

Over time, the city streets turned to suburbs and the houses became more and more spread out. The street lights, sidewalks, and bus benches disappeared, but they trudged on. They were both too tired, hungry, and in pain to be able to think about a plan of action. They both knew that there was no point to their journey. Yet it felt better to be moving than standing still. As if, so long as they were still moving forwards, they weren't defeated.

Robin was beginning to question the wisdom of leaving the city, he didn't relish the idea of spending the night in a ditch, when he saw a light appear on the horizon. He took hold of Raven's hand and tried to quicken their pace. The lights turned out to be a tiny hamlet which was little more than a church, two houses, a gas station attached to a diner, and a rundown motel. The single street light was they only thing turned on. All the buildings were dark and locked up tight. Robin headed towards the motel.

It had eight rooms in a single row with an office at one end. There was a big rig truck in the parking lot and Robin could see the tell-tale flickering of a TV coming from room number two. He led Raven over to room eight, furthest from the office, and pulled off her back pack. After a moment of awkward one-handed rummaging, he pulled out the broken fork he had used earlier to break into the thrift store.

"Are you going to be able to do that with one hand?" whispered Raven. Robin gave her a look that made her think that he didn't appreciate her doubt and set to work.

Although it took him longer than usual, he was able to pop the lock and push in the door. Drawing the heavy curtains, they turned on a lamp and surveyed their hideout.

The room was spartan: a double bed, a night stand that held the lamp, and a chair. Against the opposite wall was small table with a TV. At the back was a bathroom with a sink, toilet, and a small window. Overall, it was small, dated, and only moderately clean. To the Titans it was a welcome haven.

Raven went to the bathroom sink, stuck her head under the faucet, and began gulping down water. Robin sank down on the bed as both pain and relief washed over him in equal measure. He could hear Raven rummaging around in the bathroom.

"What are you looking for?" he called softly.

"Something to help me fix up your arm." She answered. Robin gritted his teeth has he gently slipped his hand out of his pocket. It was painfully swollen and purple bruising had spread all the way to his elbow. Raven came out holding a hand towel and a magazine.

"What's that?" asked Robin, indicating the magazine under her arm.

"I found it under the sink. I'm going to use it to splint your arm," she answered as began tearing the towel into strips. She dropped the magazine beside him on the bed. It was an issue of _Hustler_.

"You have got to be kidding," said Robin. "I am not touching someone's old girlie magazine."

"It's the only thing I could find," said Raven as she folded the offending publication length wise. "If it makes you feel any better, none of the pages seem to be sticking together."

Robin flushed and turned to look at the wall in painful embarrassment. This was surely the most horribly awkward thing that had ever happened to him.

"I need to set the bone. It will be easier if you lay down." Raven gently pushed him back onto the bed.

Robin stared up at his reflection looking down at him from the mirror on the ceiling. He almost didn't recognize himself between the unfamiliar clothes, the wrecked arm, and the haggard look on his face. He had to turn his head away.

"Looks like you've broken your wrist and first knuckle."

"I know."

"What happened? You punch bad guys all the time and you've never broken your hand before."

Robin couldn't help but roll his eyes. Punching someone without hurting yourself was a lot harder than most people realized. "I wasn't wearing my gloves. I had no knuckle protection or wrist support. That, and it turned out the guy was wearing body armor under his shirt," he said.

"Okay, well, this is probably going to hurt so try not to scream." With no more warning than that, Raven pulled his wrist back into alignment.

Robin nearly jumped out of his skin, but managed to suppress his scream by biting his lip. He could taste blood. By the time he got enough air into his lungs to yell his protest, she was finished. The folded magazine was secured to his palm and forearm by strips of towel tied across his fingers, above the wrist, and below his elbow. It looked as if he had a flat paddle for a hand. It was crude, but it would hold.

Robin got up and tried to walk off the pain in the tiny room. Raven sat on the bed and watched him pace for minute.

"Now what?" she asked.

He stopped and looked her. They stared at each other in long drawn out silence. Robin finally looked away and sighed. "We have to find Beast Boy."

"How are we supposed to do that?"

Robin screwed up his eyes in irritation. "I don't know."

"He could be captured, or lost, or—"

"I know!" he snapped. "I am trying my best here, but I don't have a lot to work with. You could try helping, you know. You don't always have to wait for me to figure things out for you. You're welcome to start contributing to this effort at any time."

Raven scowled at him for a tense moment then pulled her legs up under her to sit cross legged.

"What are you doing?"

"You want me to start helping? Fine. I'm going to find Beast Boy," she answered, closing her eyes.

"Wait, Raven, I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"Shhh!" Raven took a few deep breaths. "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."

Robin flopped down in the chair beside the bed and watched as Raven began to levitate above the bed. Her breathing was heavy and sweat began appearing on her brow. It was clear that the mental focus was taxing her.

Robin slapped his uninjured hand down on the night stand in frustration and shame. He hadn't meant to snap at Raven like that. It was just so irritating to be in such a helpless situation. Being on the run with no resources and no information was not something he was used to dealing with.

Robin was still brooding when Raven suddenly cried out and collapsed on the bed. "Raven!" Robin's heart raced has he awkwardly tried to turn her over with one hand. He breathed a sigh of relief to find that she was just unconscious. The mental strain on her concussed brain had proven to be too much for her.

Laying her out on the bed as best he could, Robin turned off the lamp and sat back down in the chair to stare out the window through a gap in the curtains. From his position he could just see the entrance to the motel parking lot. Despite being dead tired he couldn't bring himself to try and sleep. The idea that unknown attackers could suddenly appear caused him too much anxiety to be able to truly rest. He and Raven might be somewhere warm and dry, but were they any safer? The burden on his shoulders was in no way lightened by this respite.

He ran through the whole chain of events in his mind wondering if there was anything he could have done differently; if there had been any warning signs that he had missed. He thought of his missing team mates, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire. Where were they now? Were they okay? Were they even alive? He played through things that he would say to them if he had known that it would be their last conversation.

Robin suddenly snapped his eyes open. He didn't remember closing them. His body was tense. Standing up he scanned the dark room. How long had he been dozing? Something had woken him up, but he couldn't tell what. A muffled voice outside the door grabbed his attention. There was someone outside. They had been found.

"Raven!" hissed Robin, trying not to let the people outside hear him. "Raven! Wake up!" She didn't move. Robin felt panic rising in him as he turned his eyes from Raven to the door and back again. He might be able to carry her, and he might be able to fight past the enemies outside, but he couldn't do both. He considered the possibility of running away and trying to rescue her later, but ultimately, he knew that meant he would be abandoning her.

The door knob began to jiggle and turn has someone on the other side worked at the lock. Robin put his hand on the knob, took a deep breath, and set his jaw. It was a futile effort, but he wasn't about to let them just walk in and take them. He'd rather die.

With a hard pull he wrench open the door and charged, bellowing a raged filled battle cry. His shoulder slammed into the chest of his foe on the other side. The would-be intruder let out a grunt of pain and surprise has they both fell to the ground. Robin kicked out frantically trying to disentangle himself and get up on his feet. He almost made it before he was pulled back onto his knees. Two strong hands grabbed his arms and pinned them to his sides. With wild twists and jerks, he tried to break the hold his attacker had on him, but the person's grip was like a vice. Someone was shouting his name.

"Robin! Robin, stop!"

He froze and stared up at the person holding him. It was Cyborg.

Robin couldn't breath. He couldn't move. A jumble of emotions pummelled him like ocean waves. Relief, exhaustion, joy, anger. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. He wanted to express all of this to his friend, but he suddenly felt so weak. All he could do was lean forward and put his forehead against Cyborg's chest and take a deep breath.

"I'm glad to see you too, buddy." Cyborg pulled him into a hug for a few seconds then helped him to his feet.

"How…?" was the only word Robin could gasp out as he looked past Cyborg. There in the predawn gloaming was the orange T-Ship standing in the motel parking lot. Starfire was floating above it keeping lookout back down the road towards Jump City. He saw her briefly turn to smile and wave at him. He was so relieved to see her that it almost hurt.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a green gorilla emerge from the motel room carrying the sleeping Raven in his arms. He watched the ape carry her to the T-ship and lay her in her usual seat.

"How?" he repeated. "How are you alive?"

Cyborg couldn't help but smile. "We just got lucky. I was working on the T-ship and Starfire had just come into the hanger when the attack started. There was fire everywhere and we couldn't get out. So, we hopped into the T-ship and launch underwater into the bay. We've been hiding there ever since."

"Underwater?"

"Yeah, well, the T-ship did start out as a submarine, so, you know, it worked out."

Beast Boy came up and gave Robin a slap on the back. "Good to see you're okay, man."

"Likewise," replied Robin with a smile. "I'm glad you found them."

"Well, I didn't find them exactly," said Beast Boy, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, he basically just landed on our windshield," said Cyborg.

"He what?"

"Dude, I was flying around the island and then BAM! Shot out of the sky and into the ocean. Next thing I know, I'm in the T-ship."

Cyborg nodded at Beast Boys recount. "Seriously, he floated down almost right in front of us. We just had to grab him. That was it."

"And you're okay?" asked Robin.

"Aw yeah, it wasn't a direct hit," grinned Beast Boy.

"I think we should be going. We cannot stay here too long." Starfire landed beside Robin. "I am glad that we have found you safe, Robin."

"Thanks, Starfire. I'm glad you're okay too," said Robin. "How exactly did you find us?"

Starfire and Cyborg both looked at Beast Boy. He grimaced and shrugged. "I don't know. We were just hiding out and I thought I heard someone call my name, then all of a sudden, I knew where you were. Just like that." He snapped his fingers. "Don't ask me how. It was super weird."

"It was Raven," said Robin. "She went looking for you telepathically. It took a lot out of her, but I guess she found you."

"Cyborg!" Starfire's cry alerted them all the sound of helicopter blades slicing towards them. Without hesitation the Titans leapt into the T-ship.

"How did they find us so fast?" asked Robin. "You've been here less than ten minutes."

"They probably just followed us. It couldn't have been that hard," answered Cyborg as he started up the T-ship's engines.

"What? How could they do that?"

"They've been hanging around Titans Island. Literally sitting on top of us this whole time. Once we knew where to find you, we just surprised them by launching up out of the water and blowing past them."

Robin couldn't believe that Cyborg could have been so reckless, but any idea of berating him was driven away by the sight of three Apache helicopters buzzing over them.

"Hang on!" yelled Cyborg has he launched the ship into a steep climb.

"Cyborg, bring us around and lock weapons," said Robin.

"Sorry, no can do."

"What? Why not?"

"It was the weapons systems that I was working on when we were attacked. They're still in pieces." Cyborg saw Robin turn and look at him in horror. "It's okay though. The T-ship can easily out run those choppers. We'll lose those turkeys, no sweat."

Even as Cyborg said this, Robin saw that the Apaches were indeed falling behind.

"The only problem is," continued Cyborg, "Is that it's easy for them to track us. When we stop, they'll catch up. We need a way to shake them off our trail and find place to hide. Someplace where I can finish putting the weapons back to together. Someplace secure where they can't get to us."

"That's a great idea! Let's go," said Beast Boy.

"If it were easy to find such a place, Beast Boy, we surely would have gone there already," said Starfire.

"I guess. But there must be someplace in the whole entire world where we can stash a jet."

"And don't forget," said Cyborg, "We have to get them off our tail first. Otherwise, they'll just keep following us wherever we go."

"And how do we do that?" asked Beast Boy.

"By going somewhere where helicopters can't. Back into the ocean, or into space, over tall mountains…"

"How about flying through a hurricane?" asked Robin.

"Are you thinking about the one that's currently hitting the East Coast?" replied Cyborg. "Sure, that would probably work. But that's only step one. We still need a hide out."

"I know a place," said Robin. "Set a course for Gotham City."


	5. Chapter 5

"Robin! Robin, wake up!"

Robin jerked up with a start. He had fallen asleep slumped in his seat during the trans-continental flight. Next to him, Beast Boy and Raven were also stirring from their awkward sleeping positions.

"We're at the coordinates you gave, but there's nothing here but a lot of wind and rain," said Cyborg. The ship dipped and rolled, buffeted by the storm raging outside. "It's like Noah's flood out there."

Robin tried to rub his eyes but ended up jabbing himself in the face with the magazine splinted to his wrist. Clicking his tongue in disgust at his carelessness, Robin used his good hand to punch up his console and confirm Cyborg's report. They were hugging the coastline 20 miles south of Gotham City in the middle of a tropical storm that been pounding the city for the past two days.

"We're in the right spot. Head towards the cliffs at this heading." Robin punched the directions into the ship's navigation system.

"You want me to fly into the cliffs?"

"Yes. Don't worry. There's an opening."

Robin peered through the rain streaked windshield into the storm as the ship banked to follow the new course. It was so dark it that it seemed to be night instead of nearly mid-day.

"Cyborg, what's the T-ship's wingspan?" asked Robin.

"About 30 feet. Why? How big is the opening?"

"About 30 feet."

Cyborg choked. "Maybe you should fly us in, Robin."

"With only one hand? Not a chance."

"Perhaps we should try a different place," said Starfire. "Or wait until the storm clears."

"We'll be fine," said Robin. "Cyborg, just follow the heading and stay at speed. If you slow down the winds will blow you off course and we'll hit the cliff face."

"But there's no visibility out there. If I'm even slightly off course, at this speed we'll hit the cliffs before we even see them."

"We're going to die!" said Beast Boy. "I don't want to do this! Let's just hide in the ocean again."

"We're going to be okay," said Robin. "Trust me. This will work. Just keep going Cyborg."

"It's too late to turn back," said Cyborg. "This is going to end either way in: Five. Four."

Both Raven and Starfire grabbed the arms of their chairs, clenched their teeth, and closed their eyes.

"Three. Two."

Beast Boy screamed.

"One."

It was with sighs of relief that the five Titans climbed out of the T-ship.

"I don't want to do anything like that ever again," said Beast Boy. "Never, ever, ever."

They stood together at the front of the ship in a green sphere of light produced by Starfire and peered into absolute blackness. The air was cold enough that they could see their breath. They could hear faint scratching and rustling above them and all around them was the faint din of rushing water.

"Somethings wrong," said Robin. "There's no power. Wait here." He stepped away from the group and disappeared into the dark.

"Robin, wait! What is this place?" Starfire called after him.

"It's okay," came Robin's voice from the dark. "We're in the Bat Cave."

A few lights blinked on and they began to make out some of their surroundings. Platforms stood on all sides of them and held the dim outlines of fantastical vehicles. They followed the wide gangway from the landing platform down to the central area where Robin was seated in front of a massive computer terminal.

"Is this really the Bat Cave?" asked Beast Boy. "It's so cold and dark. Is that a dinosaur over there?"

"I like it," said Raven.

"I must admit," said Cyborg. "I thought it would be more, uh, advanced."

Robin continued to work at the computer as his friends approached. "I assure you, Cyborg, everything in here is on the bleeding edge of technology. It's just that everything except perimeter security is shut down due to the power outage."

"You mean to tell us that the Bat Cave is hooked up the city power grid?" said Raven.

"Of course not. It's powered by two hydro-electric turbines that are in the river below us. The problem is that all the rainfall from the storm as increased the river's flow to the point where the force of the water would strip off the turbine blades. They've automatically locked themselves open to prevent damage. Until the river calms down we're running off batteries."

"How long will they last?" asked Cyborg.

Robin turned in his chair and shrugged. "Depends on how much power we use. Firing up everything would give us a few hours, but if we're frugal we could probably stretch it out for a couple of days."

Starfire had wandered a few steps away from the group and was looking at a Batsuit enclosed in a display case. "Where is Batman? Perhaps he could be of assistance."

"He's off world with the Justice League. There's no way to contact them."

"And he's going to be okay with us hanging out in his secret lair?" asked Cyborg.

"Are you kidding? He's going to have kittens when he finds out I brought you here," Robin turned back to the computer and turned on more lights. "So, I'm going to ask all of you to please not go exploring, and please, please, don't touch anything."

There was a loud thump and the tinkling of broken glass. The Titans turned to see Beasty Boy standing by a lab station with a broken beaker in his hand and sheepish look on his face.

"Ah, someone broke this," he said indicating the beaker. "And now, I'm, ah, going to clean it up."

Robin let out a loud, heartfelt sigh. Exhausted despite sleeping during the flight, he slumped back in the chair and rubbed at the pain in his broken hand.

Raven came over and took his injured hand, checking it over. "We should fix this properly."

"Yeah, but it can wait until you've rested," said Robin, slipping his hand out of her grasp. "You look like you're ready to fall over."

"You're not exactly looking flash yourself. Let's just get this done and then we can all get some sleep." Raven pulled him up onto his feet. "Come on, show me where you keep the medical supplies."

"…Fine."

Like a line of ducklings following their mother, the Titans followed Robin into the infirmary bay. He hopped up on the medical table and untied the temporary splint, tossing it aside. Raven wheeled over the mobile x-ray machine and maneuvered it into position over his wrist.

"How long do you think it would take you to get the T-ship's weapons systems put back to together, Cyborg?" asked Robin.

"If I have all the pieces, only a couple of hours. But I'm not sure what parts made it out with us and what got left behind in the hanger. It could be a problem if we're missing components."

"We can look in the Cave's storage for any parts you need. Worst case scenario, we can borrow off some of the Batmobiles. Although, I'd like to try and avoid that option if possible."

"SOME of the Batmobiles?" said Beast Boy. "You mean there's more than one? How many are there? Can I drive one?"

Robin ignored Beast Boy's questions, instead he watched Raven begin to wrap his hand in a black fiberglass cast.

"Robin?"

Robin turned his head and felt his heart leap into his throat. Starfire was standing at the end of the table with the porn magazine he had carelessly discarded after removing the splint. She turned it around to show a particularly graphic photo.

"What is this woman doing? She looks as if she might be in pain."

At first the three male Titans stood in shocked silence, and then Cyborg began to laugh. Soon both he and Beast Boy were roaring with tears streaming down their faces, while Robin sat burning with embarrassment and shame.

"I do not understand what is funny," said Starfire.

"You've been carrying around _Hustler_ with you this whole time?" said Cyborg in between bouts of laughter.

"It's not mine!" snapped Robin.

"Dude, it was strapped to your arm!" said Beast Boy as took the magazine from Starfire and began flipping through the pages.

"It was in the motel. It was all we could find!"

"You're too young to be looking at that." Cyborg grabbed it, holding it up to look at out of Beast Boy's reach. "Nope, nothing here suitable for the eyes of children. No, no, no." He grinned as he turned the pages.

Robin tried to make a grab for the magazine, but Raven snapped at him to keep still.

"Will someone please explain to me what those pictures are and why they are funny?" said Starfire.

Raven finished wrapping Robin's arm. She snatched the magazine out of Cyborg's hands and took Starfire by the arm. "Come on, you and I are going to have a talk."

Watching the girls leave, Cyborg and Beast Boy burst into giggles again. Robin buried his face in his hands.

"Hand me the power coupler, please."

Starfire hastened to hand the tool up to Cyborg who had his head buried deep into an open panel in the underside of the T-ship.

"Okay, now the main module."

Without even a hint of effort, she passed up the large cube that would have needed three regular humans to lift. She slid it into the position Cyborg indicated. They were rewarded with the hum of the module powering up.

"And there we have it: One T-ship complete with working weapons systems." Cyborg turned away from the ship and walked to the main area of the cave. "Hey Robin, Starfire and I finished putting the ship back together. Batman had everything we needed in storage. That guy is prepared."

"That's great, Cyborg." Robin was sitting at the main computer consol. After a decadent twenty minutes in the shower, he was starting to feel better. He was wearing his uniform that had been dried out, to which he had added one of Batman's spare gloves and a utility belt. As there was no spare footwear his size, he was still wearing the black kicks liberated from the thrift shop.

"I've been working on tracking down our mystery attackers, and I think I've come up with some answers." Robin's fingers tapped the keyboard and CCTV footage of the central square in Jump City appeared on the massive screen above their heads. The time code showed that it was from the morning after the attack. Rolling the footage at triple speed, they watched as Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy appeared in the square. Beast Boy flew off and shortly after Robin and Raven began running to across the square as four men closed in around them. Robin paused the footage. The computer pinpointed the images for the four men and brought up four slightly different military headshot photos labeled "Turner."

"I do not understand," said Starfire. "How can they all be the same person?"

"They're not," answered Robin. "They're brothers. And there are actually six of them."

Robin removed the video clip from the screen and replaced it with photos and profiles of the six brothers. All of them had same blue eyes, dark blond hair, and square jaws.

"John, Matthew, Mark, Daniel, Jacob, and Luke," said Robin. "They all served in the military. Three in the Air Force, two in the Marines, and one in the Army Infantry. They all served with distinction. Their service records are perfectly clean.

After they all eventually discharged they went into business for themselves as private contractors. Mercenaries, basically. I don't think it worked out for them, because not long after that the files start to show mentions of them in connection to gang and drug activities. They call themselves 'The Turner Six Pack.'"

"You're joking," said Cyborg. "That's the stupidest name I've ever heard."

"I know," said Robin. "And if I had to guess, I'd say that the crime underworld has had a hard time taking them seriously too. They pop up all over the place: New York, Star City, Dallas, Oakland, Central City. They couldn't seem to get a toe hold in anywhere against the rival gangs."

"So why did these losers come after us? What do they want with Titans Tower?"

"They're not losers," said Robin. "They are a team of highly trained ex-military personnel, and they had the element of surprise. As for their motive, I don't know. Maybe a mercenary contract. We'll just have to ask them."

"We are going to fight them?" asked Starfire.

Robin looked over his shoulder towards the Cave's infirmary bay. Cyborg and Starfire followed his gaze. Raven, dressed in her purple leotard again, was asleep on the infirmary table. Beast Boy had tried to curl up on the table next to her but had quickly been banished to the floor. He lay tangled up in a blanket like a puppy. He had fallen asleep while trying to open a protein bar he had found. The wrapper was still caught in between his teeth.

Robin nodded as if confirming something to himself. "We're going to fight them. We're going to get our home back."


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the delay everyone. This chapter is a little short and I still want to add to it, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. Thanks to everyone who as left a review. I appreciate the encouragement. _

"We're coming up on Jump City," said Cyborg as he slowed the T-ship and adjusted course to swing wide of the city, coming up along the coast. Everyone straightened their seats and began to scan the horizon for movement. Everyone except Beast Boy who had fallen asleep during the long flight from Gotham. "Beast Boy?" called Cyborg. "Beast Boy, wake up. WAKE UP!"

Beast Boy's whole body leap out of his seat, landing standing as a raccoon on the dashboard with forepaws pointing out front of him. "AlrightokayImreadyletsgoooooooo!"

"Beast Boy, sit down," said Robin. "Are you clear on the plan? Do you remember your assignment?"

"Yes," he answered, annoyed. "It's not like it's rocket science." Beast Boy thought back to the briefing in the Bat Cave.

Robin had stood in front of the giant screens of the Bat-Computer. Above him were images of the six Turner brothers, an overhead view of Titians Island, and the wreckage of the tower.

"The Turners came closer to defeating us than anyone has before. They had a solid plan. They attacked hard, with total surprise. We were split up and left blind. But their follow through was sloppy. They either didn't realize we survived the attack, or didn't care. Regardless, their attempts to find us seem half hearted. That was their error." Robin paced the length of the screens and pointed up at the image of the island. "Their plan was good: surprise, then divide and conquer. We're going to do the same thing. But where as they hit with the force of sledge hammer, we're going to slice them apart with the precision of a scalpel."

"I think I'm going to like this plan." Beast Boy grinned.

Now, standing on the wing of the T-Ship as it glided over the ocean, Beast Boy couldn't help feeling apprehensive. "I don't think I like this plan. How do we know that the Turner guys haven't recruited a bunch of help?"

"We're coming up to your jump zone, Beast Boy. Make sure you keep a close eye on the perimeter. Nobody gets in or out," was the only response he got from Cyborg.

"Seriously, are we absolutely sure about this?"

"Get ready to jump in 3. 2. 1! Jump!"

"Have we though about-"

"Jump, Beast Boy!"

"I just want to be sure-"

"Oh, for the love of..!" Cyborg rolled the T-ship causing Beast Boy to slide off the wing with a yelp and drop into the ocean below. "Okay, Robin and Raven get ready because you're next."

Robin looked over at Raven. She looked pale and unenthused, but then that was how she normally looked. "Are you sure you're up to this, Raven? You can stay and help Cyborg in the jet if you'd rather."

Raven scowled at him. "I'm fine. How's your arm?" She motioned towards the black cast on his wrist. "You can sit this one out if you need to."

"Point taken." Robin shrugged off Raven's sarcasm and turned his attention to the task at hand. "Remember Cyborg, buzz as close as you can to the tower, but whatever you do, don't slow down," said Robin, unstrapping himself from his seat. "As soon as we jump you and Starfire immediately start harassing those helicopters. Hopefully they'll be too distracted by you to even notice us."

"Don't worry, Robin. We're going to have those choppers so busy they won't have time to think even if they do spot you," said Cyborg. "Get ready to jump. We're going to be over the tower in 3, 2,1. Go!" Cyborg watched Robin and Raven disappear out of the jet, then banked the jet around to search for the attack choppers he knew would be coming.

He didn't have to look very long because two helicopters immediately appeared on either side of him. "Alright, Starfire. You ready to kick some butt?"

"I'm ready!" Starfire launched herself off the T-jet into the sky in front of the helicopters, firing a melee of green starbolts towards them. The choppers peeled off in opposite directions. The T-ship flew over top of her as Cyborg looped around. His voice crackled through the comm link.

"I'll take one, and you go after the other. Try to lead them away from the island. And keep an eye out for the third chopper, it's—" Starfire didn't hear the rest as a helicopter buzzed over her. Coming back around it fired at her, forcing her to dive headlong towards the water and pull up hard just about the tops of the waves. The chopper followed above her, strafing with its Gatling guns. Starfire could feel the spray kicked up from the bullets hitting the water.

She pulled up, banked away from the island and weaved through the air, but the helicopter stayed right on her tail. As the aircraft gained on her, she stopped short, dropped, and let the chopper sail past her. Now in behind, she flung starbolts at her enemy, causing it to roll and evade.

"Starfire! Look out!" She turned to see rotor blades coming at her. Rockets exploded around her.


	7. Chapter 7

Robin fell along the side of Titans Tower. He aimed his grappling gun at an exposed girder and fired. Pulling the line taunt, he swung into the side of the building through a window now empty of glass. He tucked and rolled when he hit the floor. Gravel and glass crunched under him as he popped up on to his feet. Raven glided through the window and touched down beside him. The pair looked around at what had once been the Tower gym. The ceiling was partially collapsed and rubble covered the floor. Outside had been bright, but inside the dust-filled air was grey and gloomy.

Robin and Raven picked their way to the door and shoved it open. The hallway was dark but seemed mostly intact.

Robin scanned the ceiling and ran his hand along the wall. "If most of this survived then the computer servers below us probably did too. We should be able to use them to activate the island's remaining defenses, if there are any."

"Doesn't look like anyone has been through here since the attack."

"Good. With any luck we won't meet anyone. They should all be outside dealing with Cyborg and Starfire's distraction. Come on, let's see if the stairwell is still accessible."

The pair moved along the corridor and into the stairwell. The stairs were constructed of metal grating and bolted to the walls. Not trusting the structural integrity, Robin used his grappling line to lower himself down three floors. Raven floated down beside him. This level was in better shape. The walls were covered in dust and smoke damage, but they were intact.

The teens felt their way through the gloom to the door near the end. It was jammed when Robin tried to push it open. He threw his shoulder into a few times, but it wouldn't budge.

Raven held out her hand to stop him from charging the door. "Let me." Robin stepped to the side. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" It exploded off its hinges and landed with a crash. Dust rained down causing them to cough and choke. Raven tried to waft the dust away from her face as she followed Robin into the room.

The room was filled with a line of server banks. It was the central brain of the Titan's main computer. It ran everything from the crime database to the air conditioning. The hardware was dust covered, but otherwise untouched. Robin moved to a terminal and tapped at the keyboard. Everything was dead.

"How are we supposed to do anything without power?" asked Raven.

"Don't worry. I borrowed a few things from the Batcave." Robin pulled out a small black box from his utility belt and set it next to the terminal. The box started to hum and computer booted up. "Portable power cube," answered Robin to Raven's questioning stare.

"Right, of course it is." Raven crossed her arms and stood back while Robin began to dig through the system. The goal was to activate the island's security systems in order to pin point their enemy's positions, and if they were lucky, enable some of the defence systems that could help disable the Apache helicopters.

Luck, however, did not seem to be with them. Each of Robin's attempts to access a system was met with a string of errors. There was just too much damage to the peripheral hardware to get anything to respond. Robin clenched his jaw and jabbed at the keys in frustration.

Behind him he heard a crack and thump. Robin spin around to find Raven on her knees holding her head. Standing above her pointing a gun at him was young blond man. Tall, muscular, with hard eyes. Robin recognized him as one of the Turner brothers, but it was difficult to say which one. He took a guess as he raised his hands. "John?"

The man snorted. "Luke, actually." The youngest brother. Without breaking eye contact or lowering his gun even slightly, he lifted a walkie-talkie to his face. "Matt, I've got two of them in the server room. What should I do with them?"

The comm line crackled and Robin could hear the tell-tale sound of helicopter blades in the background. "Hold them there. Backup is on the way."

"Roger." Luke put his boot against Raven's shoulder and shoved her towards Robin. "Get over there."

Raven crawled on her hands and knees. Robin could see blood running down the side of her face from the pistol-whip gash above her temple. He reached out to help her.

"Get your hands up." snapped Luke. He spotted Robin's cast and chuckled. "Did you get that from punching Danny? You should have tried hitting him in the head. It would have been softer."

Robin glanced from Luke to Raven on the floor beside him and back. He could have kicked himself. He had thought that all six brothers would be in the Apaches attacking Starfire and Cyborg outside. Now it turned out that at least two brothers were on the ground. He was mad enough to spit. "Why are you doing this?"

"I think Matt is going to use you as hostages."

"No, I mean, why are you attacking us? Did someone hire you to do this?"

"Ha! I wish. Nah, we're doing this for ourselves, kid."

Robin stood there bemused with his hands in the air. "But…why? What did we ever do to you?"

Luke looked sheepish. "Nothing."

"I don't understand. There has to be some reason."

"Don't take it personally, kid. It's nothing to do with you per se. Business hasn't been great for us lately. We needed something big to get our name out there. Admittedly, this has gotten a little out of hand."

Robin was stunned. "You mean this is just some elaborate advertisement for you? You destroyed my home and hurt my friends as a PR stunt and I'm not supposed to take it personally? Are you out of your fucking mind?" Robin couldn't stop himself from shouting. "Why the hell would you do this? This isn't what sane people do! You go from serving your country to attacking innocent people for no reason? This isn't what you're supposed to do!"

"Shut up," snapped Luke. "You don't know anything about it! You don't know what we're supposed to do! Nobody does. That the problem! Those military recruiters said we'd learn valuable skills. That military experience was as good as any technical school. You know what? They lied. You put military service down on your resume, all it shows, at best, is that you can be a team player, and that just isn't enough. I can hump a 150lb pack all day. I can work without food and without sleep. I can kill someone with my bare hands. I can do all of that, but outside of the military, none of that is useful. So tell me, kid, what am I supposed to do now? Uh? What are any of us supposed to do NOW?"

Robin stared at him in silence.

"That's what I thought," sneered Luke. "Now you're going to stand very still while we wait for back up, or I will shoot you."

Cyborg banked sharply to avoid machine gun fire coming from behind him. The chopper targeting him stayed with him and he could feel bullets impacting the tail section of the T-ship. Cyborg cursed and tried rolling the opposite way. The ship was faster then the helicopters, but not as maneuverable. "Hey, Starfire. You think you could help me get this guy off my butt?" Green starbolts went whizzing past the cockpit. He pushed the ship into a dive that he knew the helicopter wouldn't be able to match. Just as he pulled out, another chopper buzzed in front of him, missing the nose of the ship by inches. Cyborg swore again.

"What was that, Cyborg? I could not hear you."

Cyborg could see Starfire high above him flying circles around of the choppers as they tried in vain to target her with their machine guns. In a straight line, she couldn't hope to out run the Apaches, but she had them beat on agility.

"Sorry, it was nothing. How are you doing up there, Star?"

"I am fine," she answered. "However, keeping these aircrafts engaged is tiring. Especially when there are three of them and only two of us."

"I agree. Let's work together to even things up a bit." Cyborg tapped his control panel and powered down one if his engines. "I'm going to try and get one of these losers to chase me by making it look like my engine is damaged. See if you can't another follow you around to far side of the tower. We'll try and meet in the middle, if you know what I mean."

"I understand perfectly."

"Make sure you don't make it to obvious. Make it look like a spontaneous action."

"Don't worry, I will make it 'look good.'"

Cyborg watched her zip around the chopper has she led it on a meandering chase. He turned his attention to the chopper that had just buzzed him moments before. It had come around and was trying its best to sneak up behind him. He allowed it to creep up and when it felt like it had gotten close enough, he jumped ahead as if he had just noticed his foe behind him. He dipped his wings to make it look like his steering was unstable.

The chopper rushed after him. Cyborg grinned has he rolled the ship to avoid the gun fire and dashed around the corner of the tower as if trying to hide. The chopper didn't hesitate to come after him. Cyborg spiraled around the tower wreckage, gaining altitude as he went.

"I'm nearly in position, Starfire. What about you?"

"I'm ready as well. Heading to you now."

Cyborg check to make sure the chopper was still on his tail. It was just turning the corner around the tower. He hit the throttle and darted forward with the chopper right behind him. As he reached the far edged of the tower, Starfire popped around the corner with her chopper nearly on top of her. He saw her dive while he fired both engines into a steep climb that pushed him hard into his seat. He felt more than heard the impact of the choppers smashing into each other head on.

He looped around and heard Starfire yelling. Something was wrong. He spotted one of the choppers bobbing around wildly as the pilot fought to keep the smoking aircraft under control. Cyborg could see it was moments away from crashing into the bay. Beast Boy would be there to pick up the pilots.

"Starfire, where are you? I can't see you." Cyborg scanned the ground and sky for his friend and the second helicopter.

"Cyborg! The tower!"

He could see the problem now. The second helicopter had crashed into the side of the tower. Starfire was holding on to the tail section trying to pull it out in order to get to the pilot. The tower itself swayed and bent.

"Starfire, stop! Don't pull it out. It could collapse the tower!" He punched at his commlink. "Robin! Raven! If your still in the tower, you need to get out now!" He toggled through channels. "Robin! Raven! Can you hear me? Answer me!" There was no response.


	8. Chapter 8

The sudden impact knocked Robin off his feet and smashed him into a server cage. Chucks of the ceiling rained down. Through the dust Luke was picking himself off the floor and Robin saw his opportunity. Launching himself off the metal grating, he put his head down and tackled Luke around the middle. The big man slammed backwards into the wall and fell forwards on top of Robin. The two struggled on the floor. Robin kicked out trying to connect with Luke's stomach. Luke tried to get his gun to the teen's head. Robin caught his wrist and pushed the line of fire away from himself. Luke used his other hand to punch Robin in the side. Robin gasped. Luke hit him again. In desperation Robin swung his right arm and smashed his cast into the side of Luke's head. The blow stunned the big man for a second and Robin used it to plant a kick into his abdomen and escape from underneath his body. Luke staggered to his feet, but Robin was faster. Before Luke had a chance to brandish his gun, Robin slammed a roundhouse kick to his head and he crumpled to the floor.

Robin groan and rubbed at his fingers on his casted hand. The pain from the hit felt like his arm was being stabbed with a thousand tiny needles. Gritting his teeth, he stooped and picked up the gun from the floor. He removed the clip and barrel and threw each piece in opposite directions. A crackling voice came over Luke's walkie talkie.

"Luke, are you okay? Luke? It's Jake. Matt's chopper crashed into the building. John is going to pull him out. I'm on my way to get you, okay?" Robin picked up the radio and turned it off before tossing it away.

"Raven?" He turned to find his friend. She was using the server cage to pull herself on her feet. He moved beside her and put her arm over his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No," she answered. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

Robin patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Come on. We need to get out of here before Luke's brother shows up."

"I don't if I can-"

"You don't have a choice. There was an accident with the helicopters and what's left of the tower could collapse. We have to move." Robin wrapped his arm around Raven's waist. He hissed as she pressed into his bruised side.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Robin clenched his jaw and nodded. "Let's go."

The pair staggered down the hallway towards the stairwell. Around them the tower girders moaned and whined about the assault on its structure, threatening to buckle at any moment. More of the ceiling had fallen in and they were forced to scramble around electrical wiring, broken pipes, and collapsed vent ducts. Raven started out moving well, but she quickly deteriorated. The latest blow to her already fragile brain was proving to be too much and Robin ended up dragging her most of the way.

Robin peered over the railing when they reached the stairwell. They were still high enough up that he couldn't see the ground level through the inky blackness. He pulled out his grappling gun.

"Raven, I've only got one hand and I'm going to need it to hold the line. You're going to have to hang on to me yourself. Do you think you can do that? Raven?" Raven's head was dropped forward on to her chest. Robin used the fingers on his casted hand to gently lift her face towards him. Her pupils were different sizes. "Raven? Are you alright? Can you hold on to me while lower us down?"

She let go of him and stood unsteadily. "I don't need you to… It's not going…" Her speech was slurred and Robin couldn't understand most of what she said. He reached to help steady her, but she batted his hand away. "I can do it…you need to…. I'm tired." Robin had to move fast to catch her as she fainted.

Robin let out a long sigh while shifting Raven's limp body to his good arm. With the fingers of his casted hand he pinched the bridge of his nose. Things were not going like he had hoped. Dropping his hand, he took a few deep breaths and hoisted Raven over his shoulder. He groaned as he felt his bruised ribs protest.

He could see at a glance that some of the bolts fastening the stairs to the wall were missing or damaged. The metal steps wobbled as he stepped on them. They did not inspire confidence, but he had no choice. He couldn't hang on to both Raven and the grappling line with only one hand. He had to walk down.

Using his casted hand to hold Raven on his shoulder as best he could, Robin gripped the metal railing and cautiously moved down the steps. His heart leapt at every creak and tremble. Stepping lightly, he made it down three flights before needing to catch his breath. He did some quick counting. The server room was on the eighth floor. With two stair flights per story, he still had thirteen flights of stairs to go to get to the ground floor. Adjusting Raven's dead weight on his shoulder, he continued down the swaying stairs.

Robin was breathing heavily and sweat covered his brow as he progressed down five more flights of stairs. His shoulder started to ache but switching Raven to his other side would mean losing the use of his good hand. Around him the tower screeched and groaned in the dark as it fought to hold itself together.

The next set of steps were in bad shape. Only three of the nine bolts fasting it to the wall where still holding. The entire flight was sloping sideways away from the wall. Something had fallen from above and punched through the bottom steps leaving a four foot gap between the last intact step and the landing. The door to fourth floor had broken off it's hinges and was lying on the landing.

Robin considered his options. He could put Raven down and jump across the gap, use the door to bridge the gap then come back and carry her across. He gave the top of the railing a gentle shake to see if stairs would even hold their weight. It bounced and squealed. Robin sighed and turned to head back up the stairs to the fifth floor landing. He would have to find another way down.

A shout came from above. "Hey! Stop right there!"

Robin's head snapped up. The shadow of a man had just come out of the doorway on to the landing above him. He knew that it must be Jacob, the back up Luke had been waiting for. Robin spun back towards the broken stairs. The steps tilted crazily has he put his foot down on them. Three steps down he felt everything slip then jerk as another bolt let go.

"Stop!" A shot rang out and bullet whizzed over his head. It was a warning shot. He didn't stop. The man bounded down the stairs and was standing on the landing above Robin. "I don't want to shoot you, kid." Robin reached the bottom and eyed the gap. Normally it would be a small hop for him, but having Raven on his shoulder changed things. He was tired. The Jacob called down. "Come on. There's nowhere to go. Now get up here before this thing collapses." He reached out his hand and beckoned. Robin hesitated. "It's all over. Just give up and I won't hurt you."

Robin snorted. "Screw you." He flicked a batarang out of his belt and sent it slicing at the man's head. It struck him on jaw. He swore and staggered against the stair railing. The jostle caused another bolt to break. The metal stairs screamed, twisting the last bolt out the wall. Robin jumped as the last step disappeared from under him. He landed hard, his ankle rolling painfully has he hit. The momentum carryed him forward down on to his knees. Raven's body slipped from his shoulder and landed on the floor with a dull thud. She moaned.

On his hands and knees, panting, Robin turned to look back up the landing above them. In the darkness Jacob was just a shadow. He expected him to be shooting at them, or least yelling, but instead he was just shuffling around, kicking debris off the landing. It took Robin a moment to realize what he was doing. Jacob was moving back to get a running start. Robin's eyes widened in horror as he franticly grabbed at Raven. He scrambled to his feet but stumbled when he put weight on his twisted ankle. Hobbling slightly, he dragged Raven through the doorway into the corridor.

He heard an echoing boom as Jacob's boots hit the concrete landing in the stairwell. Wrapping his arms around Raven's torso, he clutched her limp form to his chest and pulled her backwards down the hallway, slipping on rubble and banging into pieces of collapsed ceiling and wall as he went. He passed doorways, but he was too focused on trying to put distance between Jacob and themselves that he didn't stop to see if any of them might offer refuge. He heard Jacob enter the dark hallway from the stairwell. The man's footsteps were steady and firm. There was the sound of a gun being cocked.

"I gave you the chance to surrender," said Jacob. "We could have just walked out of here together, but you had to make thing difficult."

Robin could see the man moving down the corridor towards them. He couldn't fight with Raven in his arms. The tower suddenly shuddered, raining dust down on them.

"Kid, this place is moments away from coming down on our heads. I'm going to count to 3 and if you don't give yourself up, I'm just going to shoot you. At this range I won't miss."

Robin knew he was right. They were only about 30 feet apart. If he had any chance at all, he would have to get closer and take away the range advantage of the gun. Jacob was bigger, fresher, and uninjured. It wasn't going to be a close contest.

"One."

He would have to drop Raven. He hated to leave her unprotected, but it was the only option left. He slid her to the floor, leaning her up against the wall.

"Two."

He tucked her hair behind her ear and tenderly brush his fingers across her cheek. "I'll be right back," he whispered before springing away.

"Three!"

A shot rang out and a bullet lodged in the wall where Robin's head had been an instant before. Jacob brandished his gun towards the form charging towards him, but he wasn't fast enough. Bracing for the tackle, he was taken by surprise when Robin instead slipped past him sweeping his leg out low, taking Jacob's feet out from under him. He landed flat on his face, the gun skittering down the hall. Robin leapt on his back and landed three rapid punches to his kidney. Jacob got his feet back under him and slam his back into the wall with all his strength, crushing Robin. Dazed, Robin lost his grip and dropped to the floor.

Before he could gather his wits, Jacob had him by the throat. The large man lifted Robin off his feet and dangled him at arms length.

"You idiot. I gave you a chance! Now you and your friend are going to die here in this wreckage."

Robin clawed at the hand holding his throat cutting off his air way. He kicked is legs in desperation but couldn't get enough force behind them to have any affect.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. This whole thing was just one giant mess."

Robin thought his lungs were going to burst. His vision started to grey. There was wild bellow, the thunder of hooves, and suddenly Robin was on the floor with air flooding into his lungs. He coughed and gasped as he tried to breath through his crushed windpipe. A touch on his shoulder caused him to jump and swing blindly with his left fist.

"Ouch!" cried a familiar voice. Beast Boy glared at Robin while rubbing his shoulder where he had been hit. "What the hell, man?" Robin sagged with relief. Beast Boys annoyance turned to concern. "Are you okay? Where's Raven?"

"She's down the hall. She's hurt. You have to help me get her out of here." Robin climbed to his feet, shakily leading Beast Boy down the corridor. "What are you doing here? I thought you were guarding the perimeter."

"I was, but then the chopper hit the tower and Cyborg sent me in to look for you. I swam in through the underwater launch bay and have been working my way up. Got here just in time to wildebeest stomp that dude for you."

"Cyborg and Starfire are okay?"

"Totally. The other two helicopters surrendered after the crash. Cyborg is with the pilots. Starfire pulled the crashed pilot and two other brothers from the upper tower. We're the only ones left in this death trap."

As if on cue, the tower shook and everything started to tilt. The structure was starting to lean before falling over completely.

Robin grabbed Raven off the floor and shoved her into Beast Boy's arms. "You have to get her out of here!"

"What?"

"Break down the wall at the end of the hall and fly her out of here. Now!"

"What about you?"

"I've got to get Jacob Turner."

"Robin, there isn't time!"

"I can't just leave him here. Besides, you can only carry one person at a time anyways."

Robin turned to head back down the hall, but Beast Boy caught his arm. Their eyes met.

"I'll come right back for you."

Robin knew there wouldn't be time for Beast Boy to make more than one trip. Reaching out, he squeezed his friend's shoulder and smiled. "Sure, Beast Boy. Now go. Hurry."

Robin moved back down the hallway to where Jacob Turner's unconscious body as sprawled out on the floor.

Light suddenly filled the hallway and Robin could see the shadow of Beast Boy's pterodactyl form disappear into the sky.

Grabbing the collar of Jacob's shirt, he started to drag the man towards the opening. In his heart, Robin knew it was pointless. There was nowhere left to go. Yet he didn't have he ability to give up. He was still alive and he needed to keep moving.

He reached the end of the hallway just has he felt the tower let go. With a surprising feeling of calm, he watched the water of the bay rise up to meet him.


	9. Chapter 9

Cyborg watched in horror as the tower toppled into the bay. Beast Boy stood beside him with Raven in his arms, staring out in shocked silence. On the ground in front of them, five Turner brothers sat in a line with their hands on their heads. They sat dumbfounded as the wreckage in the water hissed, steamed, and boiled. A huge wave crashed on the rocks below them, the spray hitting their faces.

Cyborg looked up at Starfire hovering above him. "Starfire, go see if you can -"

She was gone before he could finish his sentence. She circled the sinking tower calling Robin's name. She grabbed onto a steel girder and tried to pull the tower from the water, but it was more then even her super strength could manage. Within moments, the tower was swallowed by the bay and the water calmed as if nothing had happened.

Starfire floated above the water, staring at the sheet of unbroken blue. Tears blurred her vision as brought her hands up to clutch at her chest. It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her body. The pain made her gasp and choke. A shout from the island made her turn.

"Look!" Beast Boy pointed down to the waters edge. A man was climbing out of the water onto the rocks. In his arms he carried Robin's limp form.

Cyborg skidded down the slope towards the rocky shore. Jacob Turner had Robin laid out on the gravel and was breathing air into his lungs. Cyborg reached them just as Robin started to cough and spit up water.

"There you go, kid," said Jacob, helping him to sit up. "You're going to be alright. Just put that water back in the ocean where it belongs."

Robin blinked and wiped his wet hair back out of his face. "You saved my life."

Jacob smiled. "And you saved mine."

Above them Beast Boy and the Turner brothers we're whistling and cheering. Jacob grinned and waved up at his brothers.

Robin was being helped up by Cyborg when suddenly Starfire was there pulling him into a crushing hug.

"Star!" gasped Robin. "Too tight!"

She released him. "I'm sorry. I just…" Tears where streaming down her face.

Robin reached up and brushed them from her cheeks. "I'm happy too, Starfire."

Together the four of them climbed up the bank. Forgetting for a moment that they were prisoners, the Turner's leapt up to greet their brother with many slaps on the back and a few "At'a boy, Jake"s.

After a few minutes everyone settled down and brothers resumed sitting on the ground, but with their hands in their laps. Too tired to even stand, Robin sat on the ground in front of them. The two sides regarded each other. Robin spoke first.

"You're not bad people." Robin heard Beast Boy snort but ignored him. "Luke explained to me that you've been having problems adjusting to civilian life after your military service. I can understand how would be difficult to give up doing something you've trained your whole life for." Robin had thought many times about what it would be like to permanently hang up his cape. He had never been able to visualize anything more than a vague feeling of unfulfilled potential. When he looked at the Turners, he could see that feeling reflected in their faces. He could see they were better than their actions showed. "So what in the hell possessed you, a bunch of up standing soldiers, to destroy our home for no reason!?"

The group had the decency to look ashamed before Jacob spoke. "We started out wanting to be legitimate private military contractors. But for a small outfit like us, the only people who wanted to hire us were criminals and drug lords. We got desperate and we took a few small jobs. That was a mistake. If you try to break away from people like these, you spend the rest of your life looking over you shoulder. We decided we would pull a big job. Something that would show everyone that we're not to be messed with."

"We were just going to pick a fight with some cape," said Luke. Robin flinched at friends in the hero community being referred to as 'capes.' "But we know we're no match for someone with real superpowers. The only chance to win would be with a surprise attack. We only know two superhero bases. Your tower and the Hall of Justice, and we're not crazy enough to attack the Hall. The Teen Titans are one thing, the Justice League is another."

Cyborg crossed his arms. "That's actually really hurtful."

"The point is," continued Jacob, "We started out just looking for a quick fight, then it became a sneak attack, then we got these helicopters on surplus and we felt like we had to use them or what was the point of having them. The attack on the tower caused way more damage then we thought, you all escaped and things got out of hand, but we felt like we had already gone too far to stop so we kept chasing."

"I understand," said Robin. "I mean, you're still going to jail, but I understand. And when you get out, I might be able get you in touch with someone who's always looking for well trained people to work foreign security for his multinational corporation."

"That's entirely fair." Jacob reached out and shook Robin's hand. "And thanks for understanding."

It had been just over a day since the Titans had returned to their island and already construction on their new tower had started. Friends and allies from all over had come to help. Kid Flash was helping Cyborg clear away rubble to make way for the new foundation, Aqualad and Beast Boy were towing the old tower's wreckage out to sea to be the start of a new coral reef, and Starfire and Bumble Bee were flying in new building materials.

Robin lounged under the shady tree examining building plans for the new tower. He had ice packs strapped to his ribs and ankle. Raven sat beside him trying to tape some of her salvaged books back together. Despite being bruised, stiff, and sore, Robin felt optimistic. They were rebuilding their home, and most importantly, everyone was healthy and safe. More or less. He looked over at Raven. She saw him smiling at her and rolled her eyes.

Robin's communicator chirped from his belt. He pulled it out to see a message from Batman. It read: "Back from JL mission. See your team stopped by the cave. Glad to hear you're okay. Waynetech will help with rebuilding your tower if need be.

P.S. You left your magazine here. Alfred has put it up in your room. You can pick it up next time you're here."

Raven heard Robin make a strange choking sound. "Robin? Are you okay? Your face has gone all red."

THE END

_Thanks everyone for the reviews. I really appreciate the feedback and support. This story is finished but there are still going to be some chapter re-writes and tweaking, so if you see some story updates in the future, that's what's happening. If you liked this story, you may want to check out my other Titan's canon fic "Only Human"._


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